Let's Be Children
by Dancingqueen4Life
Summary: The Black Widow never shows her emotions. But that doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't have them. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**I know I have other stories, but I decided it was high time I wrote something angsty (As if currently Baby Girl: All Grown Up isn't angsty enough.) Enjoy!**

* * *

As Natasha finished her hair, she gave herself a once over in the mirror. Despite what Maria kept teasing her with, she was not getting ready for a date with Clint.  
It was just dinner. At a fancy restaurant. And she was wearing a dress that perfectly accentuated her curves. But it wasn't a date.  
But that didn't mean she couldn't wish.  
Just as she pinned the last curl into place, she heard a knock on the door. A quick glance at her clock told her that it was 6:58, he was early. As she walked to the door, Natasha couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. She normally would have kicked her own ass for allowing this much emotion to show, but it was just Clint, and she really was a different person with him.  
When she pulled open the door, however, her smile quickly faded.  
"Tasha?" Clint asked in surprise.  
She gave him a once over and tried to pretend that her heart didn't sink. He was dressed in a pair of his sweatpants and a thin t-shirt, giving her a perfect view of his muscles.  
"Are you going on a mission?" He asked, managing to draw her attention back to him.  
"No." She said, trying to figure out if he was messing with her.  
"Then what's with the dress?" He asked, still confused.  
Before Natasha could answer, another voice joined in.  
"Clint! Are we going to finish our workout or what?"  
Natasha looked around Clint's shoulder and saw Bobbi walking closer, an annoying smile plastered on her face.  
"In a second, Bobbi." Clint said. "Tasha? What's going on?"  
Natasha shook her head before quietly stepping back into her room; she didn't close the door though, she knew it was pointless, and Clint would keep Bobbi out.  
Clint followed Natasha back to her bathroom where she easily removed her dress and hung it up. When she was done, She went to the sink and washed the makeup off her face and removed the pins that had taken an hour to put in.  
"Tasha?" Clint finally asked. "Really, what's going on?"  
"It's not important." Natasha said, secretly proud of herself for not allowing her voice to crack.  
Say what you would about the Black Widow being emotionless. It might usually be true, but she really was just a girl, and girls get their hearts broken too.  
"If it wasn't important you wouldn't be this quiet." Clint told her with a smile. "What's up?"  
Natasha had finally run out of things to distract herself with and was left with not option other than to turn and face him.  
"It's Friday night." She said quietly, looking to see if'd catch her meaning right away.  
"Friday?" He asked, and Natasha's heart sank even more.  
Without a word, she walked past him until she was facing her dresser. She pulled out a pair of pajamas and quickly put them on before walking to the bed and curling up under the covers.  
"It figures you wouldn't remember." She said quietly, trying not to let her hurt show.  
"Tash, what are you talking about?"  
Natasha shrugged. "I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning for workouts, ok?"  
Clint paused for a second, and Natasha knew what was coming next. "Actually, Bobbi and I are going to workout tomorrow together."  
"Oh. Well, then I guess I'll see you around eventually."  
"Do you want me to stay?" Clint asked.  
"No. I'd like to get some sleep."  
Clint sighed but didn't press the issue. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Natasha's head before turning and leaving the room.  
After she heard the door close, Natasha allowed a few tears to slip from her eyes. As soon as they were out though, she brushed them away angrily.  
The Black Widow doesn't cry.

* * *

Clint had no idea what Natasha was talking about, but he quickly pushed it out of his mind. He accompanied Bobbi back to the gym and they continued sparring until nearly midnight. He walked her back to her room and finalized their plans for the morning before turning and heading back to his own room.  
When he was alone in the darkness, he allowed his mind to wander briefly to Natasha, but he pushed those thoughts aside. Dwelling on it would do no good, especially if she didn't want to tell him.

The next morning, Clint and Bobbi were well into their workout when Maria walked in.  
"Hey, Clint!"  
"Maria." He replied, dodging a hit from Bobbi.  
"How was dinner last night?" She asked with a small smile.  
The realization hit him at the same moment Bobbi's fist connected to his cheek.  
_Shit!_ He thought to himself.  
After brushing off the injury he jumped out of the ring and sprinted down the hall to Natasha's room. He knocked when he arrived, but entered before she said anything.  
He'd expected to find her getting ready to head to the gym, but instead she was sitting by her dresser with an open suitcase and a pile of clothes by her side.  
"Tasha?" He asked softly. "What are you doing?"  
"I requested an undercover mission. I'll be gone for at least three months." She said simply, refusing to look at him.  
"Why'd you request one?"  
Natasha shrugged. "Wanted to be someone else for a while." She said.  
"Tasha?"  
"Oh, these are yours. My cover won't let me have them with me, so I figured now a was as good a time as any to give them back." She said as she gestured to the pile of clothes on the floor.  
"Tasha, I'm sorry about last night."  
"It's fine, Clint. Clearly it wasn't as important as I thought it was. My mistake. It won't happen again."  
"Tasha, please. I don't know what happened. I completely forgot the day and Bobbi wanted to get a lot of work done in the gym, so I-"  
"I said it's fine, Barton." Natasha said.  
Clint froze as he was about to speak. She hadn't called him by his surname outside of missions in nearly three years.  
"Nat?"  
"I really need to finish packing." She said. "And I'm sure Bobbi is waiting for you. Wouldn't want to keep her waiting, now would we?"  
"Tasha, come on-"  
"Please leave, Barton. I have to be ready to go in a couple of hours."  
Clint sighed as he looked at her. Throughout their whole exchange, Natasha hadn't looked at him once.  
He stepped behind her and pressed his lips to her head. Her tried to pretend not to notice when she shrank away from him, but he wasn't sure how successful he was at it.  
With one last look at her, he turned and left her room.

* * *

For three months Clint didn't hear a word from Natasha. He spent his days training with Bobbi unless he was on a mission. With Bobbi. While they worked well together, it wasn't like it was with Natasha.  
Clint had long ago gotten used to being the one to fill the silence on missions, and in general, but with Bobbi, he found that he actually spoke less than he did when he was with Natasha.  
Sparring was different too. He and Natasha were so in tune with each other that they knew the moves the other would make before they made them. With Bobbi, he ended up with massive bruises more days than not.  
It wasn't just the working environment though. With Natasha, he preferred to talk endlessly to her, and her to him on a few occasions, but they equally enjoyed sitting in silence. With Bobbi, it seemed as though she feared the silence. Even on their downtime she was constantly talking, even when they were watching movies.  
She also went out of her way to flirt with him. He found her attractive, of course he did, he was a guy after all. But whenever he allowed himself to think about sleeping with her, he always felt unaffected. It wasn't until one night nearing the end of the second month of Natasha's mission that he figured it out.  
The main reason Clint hadn't been excited about the very apparent fact that Bobbi wanted to sleep with him was because she presented no challenge. He was a sniper, a predator by nature. He liked having to work for things, rather than have them handed to him.  
With Bobbi, she put herself out there. She made it known that she was interested in him and wouldn't mind sleeping with him at all. But with Natasha, she'd made him work for it.  
He'd had to spend the first two years of their partnership proving to her that he wasn't going to take advantage of her. He had to prove that he would have her back regardless of the mess they got themselves into. He had to prove himself worthy of her trust. When she'd finally decided to trust him, he still had to prove that he wasn't trying to befriend her just to sleep with her and then leave her.  
It had taken 5 years for them to reach the intimacy of their current relationship- or whatever the hell it was. It had taken another year for her to finally agree to go out with him.  
6 years of trying to get her to agree, and he stood her up for the annoying agent Fury was trying to replace his partner with.

After his realization, Clint started spending less and less time with Bobbi. She didn't take it well, of course, and it led to a massive fight sometime during the third month of Natasha's mission.  
They'd ended up having a screaming match in the middle of the gym, with numerous agents coming to watch. Insults were thrown, and punches were as well. When Bobbi verbally attacked Natasha, Clint snapped. He was seconds away from launching himself at Bobbi for calling Natasha a "good for nothing slut" when he heard murmurs behind him. 5 seconds later, Phil was stepping in front of him.  
"Walk away, Barton." Phil said calmly.  
"Not likely." Clint spat, still glaring at Bobbi.  
"Clint." Phil said quietly. "Turn around."  
"Why?" Clint asked. He gave more of his attention to Phil but refused to take his eyes off Bobbi.  
"Natasha's inbound."  
"Hear that, lover boy? Your little girlfriend is on her way back. How many guys do you think she slept with this time? Think any of them knocked her up?" Bobbi taunted.  
Clint took a step toward her, but stopped when Phil rested a hand on his chest.  
"Clint. Get to medical." Phil said quietly.  
"What?" Clint asked, all of his attention going to Phil. "Why?"  
"It's bad, Barton." Phil replied. "I'll take care of the trash." He gestured to Bobbi, earning a few snickers form the crowd that had gathered.

Clint shot one last glare at Bobbi before turning and running through the gap the crowd made.

* * *

Two days later, Natasha was still in a coma, but the doctors were hopeful. Phil had spoken with Bobbi, and the next day she'd been put on a deep cover mission in one of the flyover states for an indeterminable period of time.  
Clint spent all his time with Natasha, until she finally woke up, five days after returning to base.  
"Ugh." Natasha groaned as she woke up slowly. She'd be slightly out of it for a while, but she was glad to see Clint at her bedside. Until she remembered what he'd done.  
"Why are you here?" She asked.  
"You almost died." Clint said simply.  
"Does your girlfriend know you're here?" Natasha asked bitterly.  
"She's not my girlfriend. I never wanted her to be." Clint stated calmly.  
"Could have fooled me."  
Clint sighed. "I'm not having this conversation now. You just woke up from a coma. You're bound to fall asleep again any moment. We'll talk later."  
Natasha sighed and fell asleep again. As she slept, Clint watched as he face relaxed. Her ever-present frown melted away and the lines that covered her face and made her seem centuries older than she actually was vanished. A few seconds later, Natasha didn't look like the hardened assassin she'd been forced to become, but weather the sweet, innocent, little girl she'd never had a chance to be. Clint smiled as he leaned down to kiss her cheek softly. Everyone knew she was pretty when she was on a mission. But he knew her. He knew that was just a facade. The real Natasha- _his_ Natasha- was this person in front of him. She was relaxed and prone to smiling often, even if most people couldn't tell she was smiling.  
Clint sat back in the bedside chair and held Natasha's hand while she slept, content to watch her like this forever.

* * *

A week later, Natasha was released with strict orders not to exert herself for two weeks. Clint accompanied her back to her room and followed her inside, despite her obvious lack of acceptance.  
"What do you want?" She asked.  
"I told you we'd talk. Let's talk."  
"About what? Your girlfriend?" Natasha sneered.  
"She's not my girlfriend, Tasha. She never would have been."  
"Sure didn't seem that way."  
"I don't know what you want me to say, Tash. Fury wanted her to be my partner. That's not gonna happen now, but I'm happy. It means I get to continue being your partner."  
"What if I don't want that?" Natasha asked.  
"That's not the point." Clint said, trying to keep her from going down a road he didn't want her to go down.  
"You're right. The point is that I spent two hours making myself look good for our date, and you stood me up." Natasha said, having long given up keeping the bitterness out of her voice. Looks like they were going down that road whether Clint wanted to or not.  
"I apologized for that, Natasha."  
"And that makes it ok?"  
"No, but there was nothing else I could have done! You clearly didn't want an apology."  
"Of course I didn't!"  
"Then what did you want?!"  
"I wanted you to fight! I wanted you to push me to tell you! I wanted you to not give up and walk away twice!"  
"How was I supposed to know? I decided never to push you after what happened the last time!"  
"So now you're just going to give up, is that it?"  
"Of course not!"  
"I don't see any other options for you, Barton."  
Clint sighed and ran his hands over his face. "What do you want from me, Tasha? Honestly, what do you want? I've apologized, but you didn't want to hear it. I thought you wanted space, so I didn't try to fight your decision to go undercover. But clearly that wasn't the right thing to do. So what do you want me to do?"  
There was silence, not a sound apart from their breathing. Clint sighed again and turned toward the door. "Let me know when you decide." He said.  
Just as he was about to leave, Natasha spoke up.  
"I want you to fight for me. In the beginning you fought so hard for me, but then you gave up. You finally had me, and you gave up. I want you to want me." She said quietly.  
Clint turned around and looked her over thoroughly before speaking. "I do want you. Do you have any idea how much I want you. But I also want you to be happy."  
"Then why did you walk away?"  
"Because I didn't think you wanted to talk to me. I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. I never meant to hurt you, Tasha. You know I never wanted to. Don't you?"  
"I thought I did."  
"And now?"  
"Now I don't know anymore. After Bobbi showed up you changed. You spent more time with her, doing all the things we used to do."  
"And?"  
"And I felt like a toy. Like when a kid gets a new toy, and suddenly their old toy isn't good enough."  
Clint shook his head slightly and a soft smile crossed his face. He crossed the room and pulled Natasha into his arms.  
"You'll always be more than good enough, Nat." He whispered into her hair as he breathed in the the scent that was unmistakably _Natasha_.  
"Promise?"  
"No. Promises don't exist in our world. But I'll tell you every day."  
Natasha nodded into his shoulder.  
"Just so you know, Nat?"  
"Hmm?"  
"She was never as fun to be around as you are. She talked way too much."  
"Now you know how I feel." Natasha said with a smile.  
"I swear she's worse than I've ever been. At least I know when to shut up."  
"I'll give you that." Natasha conceded.  
"Come on." Clint said, pulling away from her.  
"What?" She asked.  
"Put on some jeans and a t-shirt."  
"Where are we going?"  
"We're going on our first date."  
"That restaurant isn't open right now, Clint." Natasha said.  
"That's nice. We're going somewhere else. Somewhere more us."  
"Oh? And where's that?"  
"The diner on the edge of town." Clint said with a smile as he tucked a piece of hair behind Natasha's ear.  
"You're right, much more us." She said with a smile as she stripped off her sweats and pulled on the clothes Clint had specified.  
When they got to her door, Clint stopped Natasha and pushed her into the wall, kissing her hungrily. When they broke apart, they were both panting and smiling.  
"Hey, Tasha?" Clint whispered.  
"Hmmm?"  
"I love you." He said and kissed her again. It was slower, but no less passionate.  
"Love is for children." Natasha murmured as she returned his kiss.  
"Then let's be children." Clint whispered back before kissing her deeply again.  
In that moment, Natasha couldn't think of anything better to do.

* * *

**There you go! I was going to have it be more of an unrequited thing, but I like this better. And it makes my heart happy, which is always a good thing.  
Reviews are wonderful. You should write one. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, Pati G W Black requested another chapter for this, so here you go!**

* * *

"What can I get you?" The teenage waitress asked Clint.  
"Nat? What are you gonna have?" Clint asked without paying any attention to the girl in her early 20s that was clearly smitten with him.  
"Umm... I'll have a slice of apple pie and a vanilla milkshake." Natasha decided.  
The waitress nodded but kept her focus on Clint. "And for you?" She asked sweetly.  
"I'll have a cheeseburger with french fries, a chocolate milkshake, a slice of apple pie, and a vanilla milkshake." Clint said.  
The waitress hurried to write everything down and collected the menus from Clint. She stood by their table for a few more minutes, but Clint didn't pay any attention to her. Finally, she left with a huff.  
As soon as the waitress was out of earshot, Natasha allowed herself to laugh.  
"God, I thought she was never going to leave!" Clint exclaimed in a whisper.  
"Oh, please. You know you enjoyed it." Natasha teased.  
Clint just shot her a look that had her working _very _hard not to blush. Clint noticed and stood up from the booth they were in. Natasha's smile slipped slightly, until Clint slid in next to her.  
"Just so she doesn't get any ideas." Clint murmured in Natasha's ear as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple.  
"Whatever, Clint."  
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Natasha spoke again.  
"Did you seriously need to order all that food? I mean, two milkshakes, seriously?"  
"One was for you. So was the pie."  
"Clint, I don't need two." Natasha said.  
"I know. But I also figured that she wasn't going to put your order in since she wasn't paying attention to you. This way you'll still get your food. And if by some miracle she did remember your order, well then I guess I get more food."  
Clint's smile made Natasha elbow him playfully in his side, but she couldn't wipe the smile off her face, no matter how hard she tried.  
As they slipped into silence again, Natasha allowed herself to lean into Clint's side. Their hands were intertwined and Clint was drawing patterns on the back of her hand. Natasha was was slowly relaxing into his embrace, happy that she'd given him this chance.  
She was so relaxed that when Clint suddenly kissed her, she was taken mostly by surprise.  
At first she considered pushing him away and saying something about being in public, but that thought quickly exited her mind. She was just about to end the kiss when she heard footsteps approaching, accompanied by a not so subtle 'humph' as the waitress deposited their food. Natasha smirked to herself before deepening the kiss, still managing to keep it modest enough for their location, but enough that the waitress was sure to get the message.  
When she was sure the annoying lady was gone, Natasha allowed Clint to break away, and smiled shyly at the look he shot her.  
"Shut up." She murmured as she grabbed the milkshake and pie Clint had ordered for her. He was right- the waitress had completely forgotten Natasha's order.  
Clint shook his head but started eating as he smiled at his partner.

The entire time they ate, they found it difficult not to touch each other. It was nothing inappropriate, just little caresses here and there. But it made them both smile like little kids. When they were done, Clint managed to pay their bill with only a slight argument from Natasha and minimal flirting from the waitress. Although Natasha didn't miss the fact that she'd slipped her number in with the receipt. But Clint pretended not to notice and left it there when they exited the diner.

"Do we have to go back to base?" Natasha asked.  
"Tasha, it's nearly 11pm." Clint said.  
"Impossible."  
"We were at the diner for nearly 3 hours."  
"We were?"  
"Yeah. And we were in Central Park for about 5."  
"Oh. Now I remember."  
"Am I frying your brain cells, Widow?" Clint teased.  
"Watch it, Hawkboy." Natasha warned.  
"Come on. Let's go back to base."  
Natasha sighed but nodded her agreement. They arrived at the SHILED base 30 minutes later and made their way through the nearly empty halls until they arrived at Natasha's room.  
"I'll see you tomorrow, Tash." Clint said as he kissed her sweetly on the mouth.  
"What, no lines?"  
"Huh?"  
"You're not going to try to invite yourself in?"  
"I told you, Tasha. You mean more than that to me."  
"But you still haven't told me what _that_ means."  
"It means," Clint said as he brought his hand up to stroke her cheek. "That we're not doing any of _that_ on the first date. Not until the 4th, at the earliest."  
"What, concerned for my virtue, are you?"  
"Of course not. But I love you, and I'm not going to go rushing into things. Especially things like this."  
"Love is for children." Natasha said. Clint was about to say something when he noticed the smile on her face.  
"But?"  
"But maybe we can be children. At least when we're together."  
Clint smiled and kissed her again. When she opened the door and invited him inside, Clint followed. They were silent as they changed into their pajamas and got ready for bed.  
"I can't believe you still kept some of my clothes." Clint said as he got situated under the covers. "I thought you were mad at me."  
"I was." Natasha said from the bathroom. "But I couldn't get rid of all of them. And it looks like it's a good thing I didn't." She teased as she came into the bedroom to find Clint wearing just a pair of boxers he'd found in Natasha's hidden stash of his clothes.  
Clint rolled his eyes but didn't comment. Natasha got under the covers and turned off the lights, plunging the room into darkness. Just as Clint was about to close his eyes, Natasha began tugging on his arm.  
"You're gonna be a shitty pillow if you don't move where I want you." Natasha said with a smile in her voice.  
Clint huffed a sigh, although Natasha could tell his exasperation was fake, and allowed Natasha to manhandle him to where she wanted him. A minute later, he was lying in the center of the bed with Natasha curled into his side and her head on his chest and his arms around her.  
"So the Black Widow cuddles?" Clint teased.  
"Shut up." Natasha mumbled. Clint laughed, but stopped immediately when he felt her nails digging into a _very_ important piece of his anatomy.  
"I'm not afraid to do it, you know." Natasha said, and Clint could hear her smiling.  
"Evil, Tasha." He said.  
She chuckled softly and released her grip, causing him to sigh in relief.  
"You love me." She said.  
Clint smiled and pressed a kiss to her head.  
"I do. I love you Tasha."  
"I love you too." She whispered as she kissed his chest.

* * *

**Did that meet your expectations? I hope you liked it!  
Reviews are wonderful. You should write one. :)**


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